Return of the Stars
by SilverRowan4
Summary: A mysterious woman sends her daughter to Fairy Tail in the middle of the night. Immediately after, she is attacked and kidnapped! The last word she says is Natsu's name. Who is this woman? And why would she send her child to Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter 1

Return of the Stars

It was the middle of the night. All was peaceful, the town was asleep, and everything was still. Except for one cloaked and shadowed figure, hurrying through the starlit streets with dark bundles in her arms and on her back. The moon serenely kept watch.

The woman hurried as quickly as she could without jostling the cargo in her arms, as if it was the most precious thing she possessed. Which it was. She bit back tears as she carried her sleeping daughter towards the train station. She didn't know what she was going to do without her. They had been inseparable from the moment her little girl was born. And now she was sending the light of her life away. The gravity of what she was about to do suddenly hit her, stealing her breath and causing her to stumble. She hastily wiped moisture from her hidden face as she felt her child stirring in her arms.

"Mommy, where are we going?" A sweet voice inquired sleepily. The five-year old yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Is it a surprise? I always like your surprises." The child snuggled into her mother's warm arms, awaiting a reply. Was it one of their special sunrise days, where Mommy took her to a rooftop or hill to watch the sun return to the sky? Or maybe her mommy was taking her to a special place she had found on one of her jobs. Mommy always found pretty places to show her.

But her mother didn't reply. And the girl began to realize that they were moving very quickly through dark, narrow streets. And it was the middle of the night. Suddenly uneasy, the girl pressed her face into her mother's shoulder, trying to find comfort in her scent. A strap rubbed against her face, and she realized her mother had a packed rucksack on her shoulder. _Her_ rucksack, the red one with silver constellations embroidered on it and brown leather straps. It had been her mommy's gift to her for her birthday three days ago.

"Mommy? Is something wrong? What's going on? Why aren't we at home?" The little girl's voice was high and nervous as she began to shoot questions at her mother.

"Hush, sweetheart. We're almost there." Her mother spoke to her quietly, trying to soothe the child without letting her worries translate through her voice. The child had probably already picked up on her mother's tension through her scent, but they had to remain silent. Discovery before they reached the relative safety of a building could be disastrous.

The girl fell silent, but was now more awake, clutching her mother's shoulders and looking around nervously, trying to figure out why her mom was so worried. Mommy was a powerful mage. She wasn't scared of anything.

"MOMMY! Why are we going to the TRAIN STATION! Can't we just walk to wherever we're going?" Despite her anxiety and fear, the woman had to stifle a laugh at the girl's quiet, terrified screech and wide, pleading brown eyes still blurry from sleep. Her daughter detested trains with every fiber of her being. She would rather walk for days than board a locomotive. And they usually did walk. But tonight was different.

"No, sweetheart, we can't walk. Magnolia is very far away. And you can't walk the entire way alone." Her calm, amused tone soothed her daughter until… _Alone!?_ Fear stabbed the girl's heart. That couldn't be right. They went everywhere together. They were a team. She didn't like being far away from her mother. It made her nervous. And when they weren't together, Mommy got sad.

The woman slowed down and stepped into the train station. She glanced around, and then, satisfied with the emptiness of the well-lit building, gently set the five-year old on her own two feet. Looking around again, she carefully noted the positions of the few people in the station. Most of the people looked groggy or annoyed at having to be out so late at night. But there was another figure, cloaked like she was, standing in a corner on the far side of the station. She turned back to the girl. Convincing her to get on the train would be no easy task, and they didn't have much time.

She grinned as she saw her daughter glance around, obviously trying to devise a way to talk her mother out of this train ride. The smile faded as worries and doubts began to flood her mind. Was this really the only way? Did she have to send the girl away? Couldn't she protect her if they stayed together? And, what kind of mother let their toddler make a 12 hour train ride alone?

Well, not completely alone. The dark gray bundle that had been curled into the girl's arms for the entire walk now began to stir and stretch, shaking off sleep. The small cat yawned, and looked groggily at her surroundings. Her delicate ears perked up, and jade green eyes widened, taking a good look at their location. She jumped out of the girl's arms, and much to the surprise of everyone in the station who was looking at the little group, stood on her hind legs and slowly turned in a circle.

"Why are we at the train station?" Everyone within hearing distance gasped. _The cat was talking!_ But they quickly went back to their business as the woman's dark hood swiveled in their directions. It was late. They were probably just imagining things.

"Hush, girls. I don't have much time to explain, but the two of you have to get on this train, and go to Magnolia. Without me." The woman quickly cut off the protests of the cat and child. "There will be no argument. Both of you are getting on that train whether you like it or not." She stated bluntly. Her crossed arms and quiet, barely controlled voice left no room for pleading. Her companions closed their mouths and looked down at their feet. The cat crossed her arms and looked away, staring off into the distance. The woman's face softened as she saw tears form in the little girl's eyes. She dropped to her knees and folded her daughter into her arms. The girl buried her face into her mother's shoulder and began to sob quietly. Her mother stroked her hair and held her tightly. "I know, I know. I don't want to be apart from you two either. If there was any other way, I would take you with me." Her voice shook slightly as she gently pulled away to look her daughter in the eyes. "You have to stop crying now, and be strong, 'kay?"

The child took a shaky breath and nodded. Her mother gently wiped the tears off her face. It killed her to know that she was making her daughter cry. It felt like her heart was being ripped out, and she almost missed what the quiet, sad voice said next.

"Are you sending us to Fairy Tail?"

The cat's head snapped up, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in surprise. Fairy Tail? The guild the two of them had been hearing about their entire lives? The cat and the little girl were the same age, just a few months apart. The woman had found the cat's egg days after she had given birth to her daughter, and hatched the egg and raised them together like they were both her children.

The woman grinned again. The kid was smart. She got that from her mother's side of the family.

"Yes. I'm sending you to Fairy Tail. Does that make up for the train ride?" She held her breath. If her daughter was excited about the destination, getting her on the actual train would be that much easier. The little girl took a moment to consider. Then, she and the cat looked at each other, then gave their mom two giant, toothy smiles.

"YES!" The woman shushed them. They giggled and whispered, "Yes!"

"Good." The woman pulled the rucksack off her back. Reaching into it, she pulled out a length of blue cloth. The little girl's face instantly fell into a pout, but she obediently turned around to allow her mother to begin twisting up her long hair up, too excited to make a fuss. The cloth was enchanted to keep her hair clean and untangled, while completely concealing every strand. It even changed the color of her eyebrows, making her hair color impossible to guess. Her mommy always told her that it was to help keep her safe. Her hair was a conspicuous color, and bad people would be able to recognize it very easily. The girl secretly believed she got her hair color from her father, but she had never met him, and Mommy wouldn't tell her. Oh, well. At least the cloth was pretty. It was a dark blue embroidered with curly silver designs around the edges.

Finished tying up her daughter's hair, the woman gently spun her around by her shoulders and placed one finger under the girl's chin, making eye contact to show exactly how serious she was.

"I'm sending you to Fairy Tail, but there are several rules. I'm not going with you, but I should be able to meet you there in about two weeks. So, rule number one. Don't _ever_ take the bandana off." The girl groaned. Her mother gave her a stern look, and she quieted again. "Rule two. You can't tell anyone in the guild my name until _after_ those two weeks. Rule three. Don't show anyone your locket, and don't _ever_ take it or your bracelet off. That goes for you too." The girl and her cat looked at the finely wrought silver bracelets on their wrists. They were birthday presents from last year and they could sense the power in them, but the woman hadn't told them how the bracelets were enchanted. "And rule four." She paused for a minute, causing the little ones to look up from their bracelets with wide eyes. "Don't talk to strangers." She grinned as the two rolled their eyes, but quickly turned serious again. She grabbed both of their shoulders, turning them towards her. "_Promise me_."

The woman had always taught them that promises were very important, and that once you had given your word, you couldn't go back on it, unless some one's life was in danger. They both took a deep breath and recited the rules back to her in perfect unison.

"No taking off the bandana, don't tell anyone your name for two weeks, don't take off the bracelets or the locket, don't show the locket to anyone, and don't talk to strangers. We promise." The woman gently squeezed their shoulders and released them. She looked around the train station again, and frowned. The cloaked figure had slowly drifted towards them while she was talking to the girls. When the person noticed that her attention was directed towards them, they began moving in another direction, but didn't go far. She swallowed hard. She had to stop stalling. They were out of time. She put the rucksack that held food, clothes, money, and something else that was very precious on her daughter's back. She hugged both of her children and kissed them on the forehead before ushering them on the midnight train that had just pulled into the station. That train would take them to the home, life, and family the woman had been forced to abandon eight years ago.

Her daughter hesitated slightly, then took a deep breath to steady herself and followed her cat onto the train. They quickly found their seats, and pressed their faces against the window and waved madly at their mother as the train began to pull out of the station.

"We love you! See you in two weeks!" They shouted through the glass, grinning wildly. She smiled and waved back until they were out of sight, then dropped to her knees. It felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She struggled to take deep breaths as the horribly familiar sense of loss stole made her gasp for air and sent tears streaming down her face. She forced herself to stand and staggered out of the station. The hood of her cloak fell back to show shining blonde hair that fell to her waist. She wiped brown eyes that were identical to her daughter's. She took a deep breath. She forced herself to walk until she heard footsteps behind her. She pulled out the whip attached to her belt and spun around.

She faced the cloaked stalker from the train station.

"Key Mage."

A shiver ran up her back at the deep, emotionless voice that emanated from the dark hood. She gripped her whip tightly and tossed her hair back.

"What's it to you?" She glared at the stranger, trying not to show the nerves that were beginning to get to her. This guy had followed her around for weeks. He was the reason she had decided to send her daughter to the guild. Fury flashed through her body as she confronted the shadow that had separated her from the only thing that mattered in her life.

"My master requires your power, and your keys. You will relinquish them to me and accompany me to my master's location." His voice continued in the same deep monosyllable as before.

"Like hell I wi-" She started to snarl, but she suddenly felt a cold prick at her neck, and numbness rushed through her limbs. Her knees gave out and her fingers lost hold of the whip. She fell forward and hit the ground with a muffled thud.

The cloaked figure calmly walked towards her as he motioned a levitating syringe toward him. He caught it, and inspected the vial. It was drained dry, the liquid in it now swirling through the woman's veins with every beat of her heart. The mage would be knocked out for hours. More than enough time to transport her to his master. The woman groaned and twitched. He studied her with cold, calculating eyes. It took several minutes for the potion to affect her. He would remember that next time.

The woman was desperately struggling to stay awake. As she lost consciousness, she breathed out one word.

"_Natsu."_

* * *

**Ok, so this is the first chapter of my first story. I just wanted to clear something up really quickly. In this story, the seven year time skip after Tenrou didn't happen, and it's before the Grand Magic Games. This affects the story line later on, so I just wanted you guys to know. **

**So please, rate, review, all that good stuff. Tell me what you thought! I'm open to suggestions. I should be able to get the next chapter up fairly quickly. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Enjoy the next chapter! I totally forgot the disclaimer last time, so here it is. I _do not_ own Fairy Tail. Natsu and Lucy would be together by now if I did!**

* * *

_Chapter Two_

Natsu moaned as he dragged himself off the train. He hated trains. He was **never** going to ride a train again. Or any other transportation for that matter. He would just walk everywhere. Yeah, that was a good plan. Anything was worth it to avoid the living hell that was transportation. Especially since the only person who could make his motion sickness better had disappeared years ago.

_**NO**__. Stop. Don't think about her. It only makes the pain worse. _ He pushed away thoughts of his missing best friend as his teammates followed him off the train.

"Naaaatsuuuuuuu. Are you alive? 'Cause you look _awful._ Did riding the train make you a zombie this time?" Happy's cheery voice floated over to him as the Exceed glided towards his partner.

"Yeah, flame-brain. You're really pathetic." Gray's condescending tone followed Happy. The ice mage had stripped down to his boxers.

"You wanna go, ice princess?" Partially recovered, Natsu leaped towards Gray.

"You couldn't take me, fire breath. You're too weak." Gray pulled back his fist.

"Natsu. Gray." They froze, terrified, then wrapped an arm around each other's shoulders, one fist in the air.

"AYE, ERZA! JUST TWO BEST FRIENDS PALING AROUND! WE'RE DEFINITELY _NOT_ FIGHTING!"

The scarlet haired mage smiled as Happy snickered at the sweating mages behind his paws. "It warms my heart to see you two along so well. Best friends should never fight." She calmly walked away to supervise the unloading of her mountain of luggage. Gray, Natsu, and Happy sweat dropped.

But they were just going through the motions. As Erza turned away from her team mates, her smile fell, leaving behind a sorrowful gaze. Gray and Natsu shoved away from each other, but only gave each other half-hearted nasty sneers and glares instead of continuing their fight. Natsu collapsed on to a bench and dropped his head between his knees as Gray wandered off in search of the clothes he _knew_ he had been wearing when he stepped off the train. Happy flew to Natsu's side, settling next to him with a look that was slightly less cheerful than it would have been eight years ago. The same thought was going through all of their minds. Nothing had been the same since Lucy left. And one of the changes had been the reason the job they were returning from had been so difficult.

Lissana stepped off the train after Erza with an annoyed glint in her eyes. The team had just left her on the train! She had been napping on the way back from a difficult job that included a fire-breathing, gigantic, mutant dog that was resistant to magic, the mad scientist that had been experimenting on the poor creature, and the client had been a ridiculous man who insisted on observing the entire job, to "further his understanding of the abilities of those gifted with magical powers". All he had done was get in the way and make the job harder. Her favorite dress had been singed! She huffed in irritation. Natsu, Gray, and Erza had gone overboard, like always. All of the reward money had gone to repairing the client's mansion. It turned out that the mad scientist was his son. The kid had locked himself in the house to work on his magical experiments. Hence the enormous, mutated, fire-breathing dog. And her team mates hadn't seemed to appreciate her genius plan to take out the dog, mage, and annoying client by just destroying the mansion.

Lissana walked over to the bench where Natsu and Happy were sitting. She pushed Happy aside, eliciting a surprised squeak from the Exceed as he tumbled to the floor. She plopped down next to Natsu and draped her arm around his shoulders, ignoring the fact that every muscle in his body tensed as soon as she touched him.

"Natsu, why didn't you wake me up when the train got to the station? I could have been left behind." She whined loud enough for half the station to hear her, causing the still nauseous Dragon Slayer to flinch as the high-pitched noise grated against his sensitive ears.

_Too bad she wasn't. _All of Team Natsu cast dark looks at the Takeover Mage. She had messed up the entire job. It should have been simple, easy even. But nooooo. Lissana made _everything_ complicated. Subduing the dog should have been easy. As long as they didn't use _magic_ around it. They had planned to hit it over the head and knock it out, but Lissana had freaked out and changed to her Tigress form when she saw it. So what if it had two heads? That was no reason to deviate from the plan.

Then, when the dog started to attack them, Lissana had used the _client_ as a _human shield_. The poor man had been terrified. Gray had to go protect them, which made the dog harder to defeat. And while Erza and Natsu were taking care of the mutant fire-breather, the client's now hysterical son had locked himself into a closet, so he couldn't call the creature off. Then the dog had started spewing flames towards the house, and Lissana refused to let Gray go put it out, shrieking that if he didn't stay and protect her she might get hurt.

Natsu had managed to put out the flames, and Erza finally took out the dog with a bucket of water and her Flame Empress armor, but by then, half of the client's mansion was in flames. The man's son had passed out from smoke inhalation and the client himself was slightly charred. The furious man had refused to pay to mages, saying that he would need all the money to repair the damage and get his young son medical treatment. Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Happy had all apologized profusely, while Lissana stood behind them sulking because they weren't going to get paid. Then, she complained about it at the top of her lungs and blamed the entire fiasco on _them_ until she fell asleep on the train. With a little help from some sedatives donated from some other annoyed passengers.

Lissana started pouting when Natsu did nothing but drop his head farther between his knees. It annoyed her that he was taking so long to recover from his motion sickness. What was the use of putting the moves on him if he wasn't paying attention? She stood up.

"Well, I'm going to go get my bag." She started to walk away, then paused. She turned, and gave Natsu a stern look. "Don't leave without me!" With that, she flounced off.

Natsu moaned in relief as Lissana walked away. It took him forever to start feeling better after getting off transportation, especially since…_Nope. Not thinking about that_. He recovered faster when he was alone. He clutched his sides as another wave of nausea rose in his stomach, just trying to wait it out without hurling.

* * *

A little girl got off the train, clutching a red rucksack. She looked rather green in the face, and wobbled as she made her way to a bench.

"I. Hate. Trains." She moaned through gritted teeth. She collapsed on the bench, dropping her rucksack to her side and her head between her knees. She had been excited about the trip to Magnolia….until the train started moving. Then, she had been almost too sick to even move. She hadn't even gotten to enjoy the view because she had been in the bathroom throwing up most of the time. She didn't usually get _this_ sick. Whenever she and Mommy went on a train, she would put her head in Mommy's lap, and Mommy would stroke her hair and rub her back. That, plus Mommy's comforting scent, was enough to keep the girl's stomach mostly quiet and usually put her to sleep. But, her mommy wasn't here this time, and this had been the worst train ride EVER! 12 hours was a really, really, _really _long time. Her stomached twisted again at the memory of the train's motion.

"Didn't your mom pack some of those pills for after the train ride? The ones that calm your stomach down really fast?" Her companions voice floated over to her and the girl raised her head enough to see the little gray Exceed standing in front of her, paws planted on her hips. It took a second for her words to cut through the nausea. Then the child's eyes widened.

"Oh, yeah! Those things are awesome!" The girl grabbed her rucksack, yanked it open, and started pawing through its contents, searching for the miracle pills her mother had discovered several years ago. Her excitement gave her just enough energy to find the bottle, thrust it into the air and give a shout of triumph before her stomach had her doubled over in pain again.

"I don't think I'm going to make it this time." She whimpered. "The evil transportation has finally won." She slowly slid off the bench and curled into the fetal position on the floor, muttering about the end, and how transportation had planned this all along, just waiting until her mommy wasn't there to protect her and rub her back. Her cat giggled.

"You'll be fine, silly. You just have to take one of these pills." She picked up the medicine bottle from where it had rolled under the bench when the little girl dropped it. Ignoring the people beginning to take notice of the cat and the small girl rolling on the ground, the Exceed carefully opened the bottle and pulled out one pill. Replacing the lid, she put it back in the rucksack and pulled out the water bottle the girl's mother had packed for exactly this reason. "Here."

She helped the little girl into a sitting position and handed her the pill. The girl swallowed the pill, then grabbed the water bottle and washed it down with cold water. The cat put the lid back on and repacked the water bottle. Even though physically, they were the same age, the cat was way more emotionally mature then her best friend. It probably had something to do with her species. She had never met another Exceed, but the little girl's mother had told her many stories about the Exceeds at Fairy Tail. She was excited and extremely nervous at the thought of meeting someone like herself. It was what had kept her occupied through the 12 hour ride while her companion was busy in the bathroom. Looking at the girl in question, she sighed, and went to sit on the bench. She rested her head on her paw and waited. Things were about to get interesting. After several minutes, the little girl cracked one eye open, and a look of surprise stole over her delicate features.

"Am I…..alive?" She whispered, an expression of awe on her face. She jumped up and punched her fist into the air. "HAH! TAKE _THAT_, EVIL TRANSPORTATION! I WIN THIS TIME! IN YOUR _FACE_!" She shouted in triumph, a huge, toothy grin splitting her face. She started to do a victory dance, then noticed all the grown ups staring at her. Instantly shy, she looked down and blushed, placing her hands behind her back and tracing her toe across the ground in front of her. "Sorry." She murmured as she glanced up, her chocolate brown eyes huge under her long lashes. The adults gave a collective "aw" at her adorableness, and then continued on their separate ways. Feeling better now that her stomach was no longer trying to force its way up her throat, she looked at her friend, who was shaking her head in exasperation. "What?" she asked, a defensive look on her face. The cat sighed. Her friend could be quite the drama queen when she felt like it.

"Well, now that you're done with all the theatrics, we should probably start looking for Fairy Tail. We don't want stuck out in the streets after dark." They both shivered. Neither one of them particularly cared for the dark. Scary things liked to hide in it. The girl swung her rucksack onto her shoulders, an iron-willed expression on her face.

"Okay, let's GO!" She shouted. The girl started to charge through the station. The cat sighed again and flew after her. And right past her. The girl had stopped barely 15 feet away from the bench. She was staring at something with a sympathetic expression on her tiny face. The cat wheeled around and landed on the girl's shoulder. Following her line of sight, the cat saw a man sitting on a bench with his head in his hands. Misery was written on every line of his body and a shudder passed through his muscles every couple of seconds. "We have to help him." The girl whispered. "I think he has motion sickness. It looks way worse than mine. That poor man." The girl was in tears. Suddenly her head snapped up, and she wiped away her tears. "All right. I know what to do. I'll give him one of the miracle pills!" She dashed off. Her cat, not ready for the sudden departure, tumbled of the girl's shoulder with a surprised squeak and nearly hit the floor before she could get her wings out. The girl suddenly stopped again and spun around. "Are you alright?" She questioned her friend with a concerned look on her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start running so fast. I just got….caught up in the moment." She looked back at the suffering man. "He just looks so miserable. And I know how he feels." She said softly. The Exceed smiled. Even if she was a drama queen sometimes, her friend always tried her best to help others. The cat looked at the man. If anyone needed help, he was definitely at the top of the list.

"I'm fine. Let's go! That poor guy shouldn't suffer like this when we have a cure!" She chirped cheerfully. Her friend nodded, a serious look on her face. Motion sickness was _not_ something to joke about. She walked over to the man at a more sedate pace and stopped in front of him. He didn't notice her. Sympathy for him welled up inside her. He was so sick he didn't even realize someone was standing right in front of him. Slightly startled, she realized that he had pink hair. She reached up to check her head scarf, making sure none of _her_ conspicuous hair was showing, then crouched down in front of him so she could see his face. He was pale and green at the same time, and he was covered in sweat. _Poor guy_, she thought.

"Hey, mister. Are you ok?" She asked softly.

* * *

Natsu's head jerked up in surprise. There was a little girl kneeling in front of him with a concerned look on her face. Not able to answer, he shook his head slowly.

"Do you have motion sickness?"

Small nod.

"Well, I get motion sickness, too." She pulled a red rucksack off her shoulder and reached inside. "I've had it really bad ever since I was a baby." She pulled out a small bottle of medicine and some water. She continued to speak in a quiet, soothing voice. "About two years ago, my mom found these pills that helped calm my stomach down really quickly anytime we used…" she paused, and wrinkled her nose in disgust before saying the next word. "…transportation." Despite his turning stomach, Natsu had to smile. She treated it like a dirty word. A girl after his own heart. She unscrewed the lid of the water bottle and took out a pill before carefully placing both items in his hand. She sat back on her heels and smiled widely. "Take this, and in a few minutes, you'll feel like you never rode a stupid train at all!"

Natsu looked at the girl, then at the pill in his hand. He doubted that it would work, but what did he have to lose. Moving slowly, he carefully swallowed the pill and washed it down with some of her water. He handed the water bottle back to the kid. She put it back in her bag and clambered up to sit next to him on the bench. He had already put his head back in his hands when he felt a small hand start to rub soothing circles on his back.

"This is what my mommy always does when I feel sick." She said shyly. He turned his head and gave her a grateful smile. To his utter shock, his stomach was already beginning to quit its acrobatics and the comforting pressure on his back was helping his tense muscles to relax. He carefully sat up, smiled even wider when the motion didn't cause nausea, and extended his hand.

"Hi! My name is Natsu! Who are you?" Just then, Happy popped his head over the back of the bench with a panicked look on his face.

"Natsu! Lissana….." Happy trailed off when he saw the small girl sitting next to his recovered partner. He looked at the girl in shock. Something about her was really familiar. But he was positive he had never seen her before….He forgot about his urgent news as he began to ponder this enigma. The little girl gasped in delight.

"You're an Exceed! Wow, I've never seen a blue Exceed before!" She began to chatter excitedly. "Oh, where is Ayano? She's wanted to meet another Exceed for sooooo long!" Just then, a shadow fell over the girl. She felt a menacing aura, and slowly turned around on the bench, her eyes as big as saucers. She slowly looked up until she met the cold blue eyes of an angry, silver-haired woman. Happy hovered next to Natsu's head.

"Um, Natsu."

"Yeah, Happy?"

"Lissana found her luggage." Happy whispered apologetically into Natsu's ear.

"Aye." Natsu whispered back. The little girl was still looking at Lissana with huge eyes. Lissana was staring back at her with cold fury.

"Who are you and what are you doing here." Natsu was shocked at Lissana's hateful tone. She didn't even know this girl! Why would she talk to some random kid like this?

The little girl didn't answer. She continued to look at Lissana with now fearful eyes. She slowly moved off the bench until her feet were off the ground, maintaining eye contact with the Takeover mage the entire time. She clutched her red rucksack to her chest like a shield and slowly began to back away. Natsu didn't really understand what was going on, but he knew that an innocent child who had just done him a huge favor was being frightened by someone who had caused him problems for a long time. He stepped in front of the kid, shielding her from Lissana's glare. He crossed his arms and gave her a glare in return. She blinked in surprise.

"Natsu? What are you doing?"

"Oi, what's your deal, Lissana? The kid didn't do anything. She just came over here and gave me this motion sickness pill that helped me recover, like, an hour faster than I usually do. So, why are you looking at her like she just ate your food, or something?" Natsu angrily questioned Lissana.

Her mouth fell open in shock. He was siding with some random kid, against his nakama? And wait, she had given him a pill? Lissana's eyes narrowed again.

"Natsu, you idiot! Why on earth would you take a pill from a stranger? The little brat probably drugged you so she could steal everything you have on you!"

Natsu felt the little girl tug frantically on his hand. When he turned to look at her, he was shocked to see tears in her big brown eyes.

"I-I wouldn't d-d-do that!" The kid was sobbing. She could barely get the words out. Natsu's temper flared. "I-I j-just saw th-that you l-looked re-really sick, and I-I h-h-hate seeing p-people feel b-bad, so, so I-I thought th-th-th-" She couldn't continue. Her entire body was shaking, and she was trying to wipe tears off her face as she tried to explain to Natsu. He seemed really nice, and she didn't want him to think bad things about her! Plus, he was with an Exceed, and she couldn't mess up and make him go away before Ayano got a chance to meet him!

She squeaked in surprise as she felt her feet leave the ground and she was being cradled in a warm embrace. She looked up at Natsu's smiling face as he gently wiped tears off her cheeks.

"I know, kid."She felt his kind words resonate through his chest, and that was all it took. The tears stopped flowing, and she took shaky breaths until she was able to return his smile with a trembling one of her own.

By now, Erza had retrieved her mountain of luggage, and Gray had found his pants (it appeared that the shirt would be lost forever, like so much of his other clothing). To say they were surprised at the scene laid out before them would be a huge understatement. They saw a red-faced, enraged Lissana facing off with an equally angry Natsu, who shouldn't have recovered from the train ride for another _hour_ at least. And Natsu was gently holding a crying little girl in his arms. Happy was hovering in between them, like he was attempting to stop a fight from breaking out. Then suddenly, a gray blur flew past them to stop inches from Lissana's face. The little girl's Exceed had finally recovered from the shock of seeing Happy and was flying to her best friend's rescue.

* * *

"Who are you, and what did you do to Layla?" Ayano was hissing and spitting. Her claws were extended and she was ready to rip into this woman for upsetting her friend so much. The girl was sobbing, and the man she had gone to help had his arms curled protectively around her. Ayano was furious with herself. If she hadn't been so caught up in the appearance of the blue Exceed, she would have noticed what was going on, and she would have been able to protect Layla. The silver-haired woman she was facing lost her surprised expression and curled her lip into a sneer.

"You think you could take me, little cat?" Lissana's hands curled into fists. First the kid, now another Exceed? Who was this girl, anyway?

Natsu peered at the girl in his arms.

"Layla. Is that your name?" He asked softly. _Just like **her **mom._ Wide eyed at Ayano's display of temper, she looked up at Natsu and nodded. He gave her one of his signature toothy grins. "Well, nice to meet'cha!"

Erza finally overcame her shock enough to step in and stop the fight that was about to start between Lissana and the strange Exceed.

"Natsu. Lissana. Explain the situation." Too busy giving each other angry glares, neither one of the mages answered. "_Now." _Erza's scary tone got their attention quickly.

"_AYE, COMMANDER ERZA!" _Natsu and Happy both saluted while Lissana crossed her arms and looked away sullenly. Natsu began to explain.

"Well, I was just sitting here on this bench trying not to hurl when this kid walked up to me. She told me that she got motion sickness, just like me, and that her mom had given her these pills to help calm her stomach after train rides." Natsu was explaining when the girl broke in.

"They're miracle pills!" She chirped. "One can calm down an upset tummy in no time flat!" She smiled at Natsu, then turned to Erza with a serious look on her tiny face. "I saw that Mister Natsu here looked pretty miserable, and I just couldn't let him suffer! Transportation is evil, and no one should feel that bad ever!" The girl, Layla, was starting to get worked up again while Erza began to melt at her cuteness. "So, I gave him one of my pills, then started rubbing his back, like my mommy does for me when I get motion sickness, and then, then…" Her voice faltered and she fell silent as she reached this point of the story. She shot a glance at the scary lady. _Mister Natsu called her Lissana_. She noticed that Ayano was still hovering in between her and Lissana. She called out to her and smiled when her friend looked at her. The cat reluctantly left her post and flew into Layla's arms. Layla hugged her tightly before continuing her story in a soft voice.

"Then, Miss Lissana walked over and got really angry. She started yelling at Natsu, saying that I was probably trying to drug him and take all of his stuff." Tears started to form in her eyes again, and she felt Natsu's arms tighten around her. She looked at Erza earnestly. "But I wasn't, honest! Mommy always says that stealing is bad, and, and-"She stopped her explanation again, and looked at Natsu with a confused expression. "What does 'trying to drug you' mean?"

Erza held up an armored hand, motioning that the girl didn't need to continue.

"Well, then. Layla, is it?" The child gasped as Erza bowed to her. "We thank you for the medicine that helped Natsu recover." Now, Erza turned to the mage who had caused the whole issue. Lissana paled as Titania glared at her. "Lissana, your behavior lately has been unacceptable. Your siblings would be ashamed." Lissana opened her mouth to protest, but another glare silenced her. "I will be discussing your performance during the job and this little altercation with the Master." Erza sighed. Dealing with Lissana was always frustrating. "Now, let's return to the guild. I'm tired." With that, Erza ended the discussion and turned to retrieve her luggage. Gray looked at Natsu and the girl in his arms.

"Oi, Flame Brain. Shouldn't you put her down now? Her folks are probably looking for her." The girl and the cat both looked down and sighed.

"Actually….my mommy isn't here. She was sending us to…" The girl suddenly stopped talking and sat up straight in Natsu's arms. She was staring intently at Gray. Feeling self-conscious, he looked down to make sure his pants were still on. But Layla was staring at his guild mark. "Fairy Tail!" She whispered in shock. She twisted around to look at Natsu. She was smiling widely. "You guys are mages from Fairy Tail!" She shouted happily. She bounced up and down in excitement. "That's where Mommy was sending us!" She smiled at the surprised mages eagerly. "Would you please take us there? Please, please, pleeeease, with strawberries on top?" Natsu smiled back at her. He started to walk towards the exit, scooping up Layla's red rucksack with his free hand.

"Of course! Everyone is welcome at Fairy Tail!" Layla squealed in excitement and kissed Natsu's cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She turned to Ayano, who flying circles around Natsu's head in excitement. "Ayano! We're finally going to Fairy Tail!"

"Naaatsuuuuu, wait for me!" Happy wailed. Natsu looked back, and flashed his team mates a signature grin.

"Erza, Gray! Let's go home!" His excited voice echoed through the train station. He couldn't wait to introduce this little girl to everyone at the guild! It was strange. Even though he had just met her, she seemed really familiar and he felt extremely protective of her. Maybe it was something about her scent. He took a deep breath through his nose. She smelled like….strawberry and vanilla fire. That was definitely a new one. But it still tugged at his memory. He shook his head. _Oh, well. I'll figure it out later._ Erza and Gray followed him out.

"Yes. Returning to the guild is now our top priority." Erza tone was serious. "I haven't had any strawberry cake in days. The situation is becoming critical." Layla giggled.

"Ooh, strawberry is my favorite! Do you think I can have some cake too, Erza?" Natsu and Gray tensed, ready for Erza to explode. She didn't share her cake with anyone. Last time somebody had tried to sneak a bite when she wasn't looking, that guy had been in the hospital for _weeks_.

"That can be arranged." Jaws hit the floor. "I'll request that Mira make three cakes so you can have one." Erza continued to calmly pull her luggage behind her. Layla gently poked the flabbergasted Natsu in the cheek.

"Natsu, are you ok? It looks like your mouth is about to hit the ground!" Natsu was in a daze. Erza sharing _cake_?! She must _really_ like this kid.

Gray smiled to himself. The kid had slain Erza with her cuteness. He felt sorry for the first guy who made the girl upset. Erza was going to roast him.

"Mister Gray?" Gray looked up. The girl was peering at him over Natsu's shoulder with wide eyes. Her eyes….they reminded him of someone he knew. Who was it?

"Um, Mister Gray…your pants are missing." Gray looked down.

"DAMN- uh I mean- DANG IT!" He had just found those pants! He shivered. Juvia was going to _kill_ him when he walked into the guild with no pants on.

"OI! ICE PRINCESS! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON! YOU'RE GONNA SCAR LAYLA FOR LIFE!" Gray met Natsu's annoyed glare. He grinned.

"You wanna go, flame brain?"

"Like you could take me, icicle queen!" Gray and Natsu started towards each other. Layla, still wrapped in Natsu's arms, squeaked.

"Natsu. Gray." They both froze. Erza was emitting a murderous aura. "If you so much as bruise Layla, both of you will be forced to endure….the punishment." The two mages leaped away from each other. Natsu cradled Layla as if she was made of glass.

"AYE, SIR!" They saluted Titania Erza, the Fairy Queen. Layla giggled in delight. She turned to give Ayano, who was flying shyly next to a chattering Happy, a giant toothy grin.

"Ayano, this is going to be so much fun!"

* * *

Lissana was still standing next to the bench in the train station. Her face was red with rage and her hand squeezed the handle of her luggage so hard it snapped. The other mages had left. They had left without _her._ They had sided with some random brat over _her_. She growled. She was their guild mate! Their nakama! How dare they! Her blue eyes were tinged with red. They would all pay for this humiliation. _Especially _that little brown-eyed brat.

* * *

**Well, I hope you guys liked the second chapter! Can you believe it? Erza is going to share _cake_! And why would Gray care about Juvia's opinion on his state of undress? Rate and review! I welcome any and all criticism.**


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